Tires won't put brakes on project

Erskine Commons set to open next fall

Erskine Commons set to open next fall

November 29, 2005|JEFF PARROTT Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- If you've driven on Ireland Road west of Michigan Street lately, you might have noticed towering heaps of old tires on the site that will become Erskine Commons. Although waste tire disposal poses a unique environmental challenge, state officials say the tires did not surprise them or developer Anchor Properties -- and they should not further delay the retail project. The development, to be anchored by a Wal-Mart and a Lowe's home improvement store, initially would have opened by now. But citing the presence of a former dump at the 16-acre site, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management has required the developer to take unanticipated steps to safeguard the environment and public health. As a way to level the topography, Anchor initially wanted to spread the landfilled debris throughout the parking lot area of the site and cap it with 18 inches of asphalt. But IDEM determined that having the waste so close to the surface would endanger the public. So Anchor agreed to dig a large cell, or hole, line it with an impermeable plastic, move the landfilled debris in and top it with a layer of fresh soil. The developer has partially filled the cell and begun compacting the debris. Both stores now plan to start construction in late winter or early spring of 2006 and open in the fall, said Mike Ricke, Cincinnati-based Anchor's vice president of development. The $40 million project also will include some smaller retailers yet to be named. The landfill covers about seven acres and operated from 1969 to 1982, before landfills were regulated by environmental laws. It contains mostly foundry sand, along with construction debris such as concrete, wood and steel, and a little bit of household waste, said Kevin Davis, IDEM project manager. IDEM learned of the tires this past summer after boring into the soil and digging test pits at the site, Davis said. The agency gave Anchor four choices on what to do with the tires. It could shred them into 2-inch squares and lay them atop a layer of sand at the bottom of the cell, to better protect the liner. It could cut the tires into quarters and place them in the cell with the rest of the debris. It could create a "vapor layer" of cut-up tires near the top of the cell, which would help control the release of methane from the pile, should that occur. Or, and this is the option Anchor has chosen, it could haul the tires off-site for disposal. Ricke said a subcontractor will decide how to dispose of the tires. To help Anchor pay for the environmental work, the city has taken out a $600,000 low-interest state loan and is receiving a $150,000 state grant. The city is loaning $300,000 of that money to Anchor, while giving the company another $300,000 for the job. The city also plans to spend up to $4.5 million -- $1.9 million of which could be paid with federal money -- to widen Michigan Street and Ireland Road near the site. The city thinks that is money well spent. "A $40 million investment in the community is huge -- being able to rebuild the south side with retail and commercial," said Sharon Kendall, executive director of community and economic development for the city. The city expects to award a contract for the road work in early January and has promised Anchor it will be done by Nov. 1, 2006, said city engineer Carl Littrell. The city believes it can fulfill that promise, despite having encountered snags of its own, Littrell said. By late 2004, the city had hoped to break ground on the road work in April 2005, but it has had some difficulty reaching agreement with property owners on buying up rights of way, Littrell said. As word about the retail project has spread, nearby property owners have either inflated their prices or hesitated to sell, he said. Needing to buy three more parcels, the city could take property by eminent domain but has managed to avoid it thus far. "We don't think we're going to have to," Littrell said. "It's a bit heavy-handed. We'd prefer to come to agreement with the sellers." Staff writer Jeff Parrott: jparrott@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6320